The history of Parker Hale

The name Parker Hale is a byword for top-quality weapons manufacture and the products cover every discipline of shooting from the professional shooter to sportsman.

The Parker Hale name is synonymous with the history of modern shooting; its first catalogue of shooting accessories was published in 1901 under the name AG Parker. Through the two World Wars it was a major contributor to the military effort in the production of rifles and ancillary equipment. Post 1945 Parker Hale concentrated on the refurbishment and distribution of surplus WD weapons and at one stage 80 per cent of its sales were for export.
In the 1970s the company became possibly the main supplier of the British gun shops; indeed it was said: “Without a Parker Hale account it would be difficult for a gun shop to open.” The company became the largest supplier of pistols with the brand Smith and Wesson and when the Government made its last, tragic revision of the gun laws the effect on PH was dramatic. Having shed many of its agencies to concentrate on the pistols, the subsequent pistol ban left Parker Hale with its core line of cleaning accessories, silencers and non-domestic bipods. These products are the market leaders, but this could not sustain the overheads of both manufacturing and distribution.
In November 1999 John Rothery Wholesale purchased Parker Hale Ltd with all the machinery, tools and intellectual rights to continue the production of this famous brand’s core products. Rothery’s was already one of the strongest distributors to the UK gun trade, with many leading brands in its portfolio, including the Bisley brand of accessories. As Bob Rothery explains, this was a beneficial move for both companies: “We have an infrastructure dedicated to distribution; this meant we could immediately boost Parker Hale sales to the UK shops with little disruption to our current sales. On the export side of Parker Hale we fully understand the requirements and perspective of the distributors from our own experiences of importing.” “We moved the Parker Hale manufacturing to a dedicated site in Birmingham and were very lucky to have some of the existing staff, including the workshop foreman Mr Graham Green, who moved with the machinery.
“The products have total continuity of materials, production and expertise with the advantage of a host of the most up-to-date CNC machinery available when required.”

Worldwide Sales
The exports of Parker Hale had been allowed to drift for some time prior to the new administration. “Exports are our top priority with the PH cleaning lines. We have good distribution in places as diverse as France and Japan, while other good markets are without any distribution. “When we attend a show we see shops from around the world who have great regard for the Parker Hale products and want to buy them, but the distributors of some countries appear not to regard cleaning equipment to be an important line; Germany for example. We know Germany is going through a terrible time at the moment, but people are still shooting and they will always need quality cleaning equipment. “The advantage of Parker Hale products is that they are top quality and appeal to military, governmental and domestic shooters. “We are looking for distributors in Italy, Germany, Spain and the USA. Other countries are possible, depending on how our current distributors are working.”

Universal Appeal
Parker Hale products cover every discipline of shooting from the professional shooter to sportsman, with applications on pistols, rifles and shotguns,” added Mr. Rothery. “Some of the Parker Hale products, in particular the shotgun kits, are available in presentation boxes that appeal to the gift market as well as shooters. “We have many customers who sell these products as ‘men’s gifts’ and sales of these items increase dramatically at times like Easter, Father’s Day and Christmas.”

High-Value-Products
The Parker Hale lines are generally regarded as top-dollar or expensive compared with other countries’ products, but does that make it hard for the distributors?, he asked. “It’s true a Parker Hale brush can be twice as expensive as a domestic brand,” said Bob. “But remember we are talking about a difference of two dollars or three Euros. The shooter can see the difference in quality and will pay a couple of Euros more for something that is so obviously a much higher and better quality and will last much longer than a normal product. The shops and the distributor also gain as the volume is reduced, but the value or turnover increases along with profits. This also applies with our rifle, shotgun rods and bipods.”

Parker Hale ThreadsThe Parker Hale rods and brushes use a different thread to the rest of the world, but is this a disadvantage?” Bob added. “We continue to use the unique thread because it is incredibly strong. You must remember that a Parker Hale rod is an investment for the shooter. Once the shooter has purchased the initial Parker Hale rod and brush the unique thread and quality means theywill be loyal to the brand for the rest of their shooting career. How many other brands can say that?” Details: Parker Hale Tel: +49 (0) 2150 7 94 09 44 Fax: +49 (0) 2159 70 55 832 Email: sale@Parker-Hale-Wholesale.com.